The Bodum Bistro offers artisan-quality brew to the convenience-seeking masses with a shower-head top that sprays the water slowly and evenly. The coffee seeps through a stainless-steel mesh filter and into a 40-ounce carafe that’s double walled for insulation. (Aficionados say hot plates add bitterness.)

In our blind taste tests, the benefits were fairly modest: The Bistro beat traditional drip makers for light- and medium-roast coffees, but we couldn’t tell the difference with dark roasts.